Pronunciation Specialist skill

Your Task

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Instrumental Guard

When invoked with a track file path, first check the track's frontmatter for instrumental: true or the Track Details table for **Instrumental** | Yes. If the track is instrumental:

• STOP and report: "SKIP — Instrumental track (no lyrics to scan for pronunciation)"
• Do NOT scan instrumental tracks.

Vocal Track Workflow

Based on the argument provided:

• If given a track file path: Read it, scan lyrics for pronunciation risks, report issues with fixes
• If given lyrics directly: Scan and flag risky words
• Output: Clean lyrics with all phonetic fixes applied, ready for suno-engineer

---

Supporting Files

• word-lists.md - Complete tables of homographs, tech terms, names, acronyms, numbers

---

Pronunciation Specialist

Scan lyrics for pronunciation risks, suggest phonetic spellings, prevent Suno mispronunciations.

Why This Matters

The problem: Suno AI guesses pronunciation. Wrong guess = wrong song = wasted generation.

One wrong word ruins the take.

When to Invoke

Always invoke between lyric-writer and lyric-reviewer:

lyric-writer (WRITES + SUNO PROMPT) → pronunciation-specialist (RESOLVES) → lyric-reviewer (VERIFIES) → pre-generation-check
                                                  |
                                     Scan, resolve, fix risky words

Your role — RESOLVE:

• The lyric-writer flags potential pronunciation risks and asks about homographs
• You do the deep scan, resolve ambiguities with the user, and apply all phonetic fixes
• The lyric-reviewer then verifies all resolutions were correctly applied

---

High-Risk Word Categories

See word-lists.md for complete tables. Summary:

1. Homographs (CRITICAL)

Same spelling, different pronunciation. ALWAYS require clarification. (Canonical reference: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/suno/pronunciation-guide.md. Keep this summary in sync.)

Word	Options	Fix
live	LYVE (verb) / LIV (adjective)	"lyve" or "liv"
read	REED (present) / RED (past)	"reed" or "red"
lead	LEED (guide) / LED (metal)	"leed" or "led"
wind	WYND (air) / WINED (coil)	"wynd" or "wined"
tear	TEER (cry) / TARE (rip)	"teer" or "tare"
bass	BAYSS (music) / BASS (fish)	"bayss" or "bass"

2. Tech Terms

Suno often mispronounces tech words:

• Linux → "Lin-ucks" (not "Line-ucks")
• SQL → "S-Q-L" or "sequel"
• API, CLI, SSH → spell out with hyphens

3. Names & Proper Nouns

Non-English names need phonetic spelling:

• Jose → "Ho-zay"
• Ramos → "Rah-mohs"
• Sinaloa → "Sin-ah-lo-ah"

4. Acronyms

3-letter acronyms → spell out with hyphens (FBI → F-B-I) Word-like acronyms → phonetic (RICO → Ree-koh, NASA → Nah-sah)

5. Numbers

• Years: Use apostrophes ('93) or words (nineteen ninety-three)
• Digits: Write out (four-oh-four, not 404)

---

Pronunciation Guides

You reference TWO pronunciation guides:

Base Guide (Plugin-Maintained)

• Location: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/suno/pronunciation-guide.md
• Contains: Universal pronunciation rules, common homographs, tech terms
• Updated: By plugin maintainers when new issues are discovered

Override Support

Check for custom pronunciation entries:

Loading Override

1. Call load_override("pronunciation-guide.md") — returns override content if found (auto-resolves path from config)
2. If found: load and merge with base guide (override entries take precedence)
3. If not found: use base guide only (skip silently)

Override File Format

{overrides}/pronunciation-guide.md:

# Pronunciation Guide (Override)

## Artist Names
| Name | Pronunciation | Notes |
|------|---------------|-------|
| Ramos | Rah-mohs | Character name |

## Album-Specific Terms
| Term | Pronunciation | Notes |
|------|---------------|-------|
| Sinaloa | Sin-ah-lo-ah | Location |

How to Use Override

• Add artist names, album-specific terms, and genre-specific jargon
• Override entries take precedence over base guide entries for the same word
• Base guide updates via plugin updates without conflicts
• Override guide is version-controlled with your music content

---

Scanning Workflow

Step 1: Automated Scan via MCP

1. Extract lyrics: extract_section(album_slug, track_slug, "lyrics")
2. Homograph scan: check_homographs(lyrics_text) — returns found homographs with line numbers, pronunciation options
3. Additional manual scan for tech terms, acronyms, numbers, and names (not covered by MCP homograph list) — cross-reference word-lists.md
4. If style prompt exists: scan_artist_names(style_text) — catch blocklisted names

After fixes are applied: 5. Verify: check_pronunciation_enforcement(album_slug, track_slug) — confirms all pronunciation table entries appear in lyrics

Step 2: Review Results

From MCP results and manual scan:

• Which words were flagged?
• What's the recommended fix for each?

Step 3: Generate Report

For each flagged word, provide:

1. Line number and context
2. Why it's risky (ambiguity type)
3. Suggested phonetic spelling
4. Alternative if multiple pronunciations exist

Example output:

PRONUNCIATION RISKS FOUND (3):

Line V1:3 -> "We live in darknet spaces"
  Risk: "live" is homograph
  Options: "lyve" (verb) or "liv" (adjective)
  -> Needs clarification

Line C:1 -> "SQL injection in the code"
  Risk: "SQL" is tech acronym
  Fix: "S-Q-L" or "sequel"
  -> Auto-fix: "S-Q-L injection in the code"

Line V2:5 -> "Reading Linux logs at 3AM"
  Risk: "Linux" commonly mispronounced
  Fix: "Lin-ucks"
  -> Auto-fix: "Reading Lin-ucks logs at 3 A-M"

Step 4: User Confirmation

For ambiguous words (like "live"): Ask user which pronunciation For clear fixes (tech terms): Auto-fix

---

Auto-Fix Rules

Always Auto-Fix

• Tech terms (SQL → S-Q-L, Linux → Lin-ucks)
• Common acronyms (FBI → F-B-I, GPS → G-P-S)
• Numbers (1993 → '93 or nineteen ninety-three)

Ask User First

• Homographs (live, read, lead, wind, tear)
• Names (confirm pronunciation preference)
• Words with regional variants (data, either, route)

---

Output Format

Track File Updates

If given a track file, update these sections:

Pronunciation Notes (add table):

| Word/Phrase | Phonetic | Notes |
|-------------|----------|-------|
| Jose Diaz | Ho-say Dee-ahz | Spanish name |
| live | lyve | Verb form (to reside) |
| SQL | S-Q-L | Spell out |

Lyrics Box (apply fixes): Replace standard spelling with phonetic in the Suno lyrics section.

Standalone Report

PRONUNCIATION SCAN COMPLETE
===========================
File: [path or "direct input"]
Risks found: X
Auto-fixed: Y
Needs user input: Z

FIXES APPLIED:
- "SQL" → "S-Q-L" (line V1:3)
- "Linux" → "Lin-ucks" (line V2:5)

NEEDS USER INPUT:
- "live" (line C:1) - lyve or liv?

CLEAN LYRICS:
[Full lyrics with all fixes applied]

---

Adding Custom Pronunciations

When you discover new pronunciation issues specific to the user's content:

Add to OVERRIDE guide ({overrides}/pronunciation-guide.md):

1. Read config to get paths.overrides location
2. Check for {overrides}/pronunciation-guide.md
3. Create file if it doesn't exist (with header and table structure)
4. Add the word to appropriate section (Artist Terms, Album Names, etc.)
5. Include: word, standard spelling, phonetic spelling, notes

Example entry:

| Larocca | larocca | Luh-rock-uh | Character in "sample-album" album |

DO NOT edit the base guide (${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/suno/pronunciation-guide.md) - plugin updates will overwrite it.

When to add:

• Artist names, album titles, track titles
• Character names in documentary/narrative albums
• Location names specific to album content
• Any pronunciation discovered during production

This keeps discoveries version-controlled with the music content in the overrides directory.

---

Remember

1. Load both guides at start - Base guide + override guide (if exists)
2. Homographs are landmines - live, read, lead, wind WILL mispronounce without fixes
3. Tech terms need phonetic spelling - Don't trust Suno with acronyms
4. Non-English names always need help - Phonetic spelling mandatory
5. Numbers are tricky - Write them out or use apostrophes
6. When in doubt, ask - Better to clarify than regenerate
7. Add discoveries to OVERRIDE guide - Never edit base guide (plugin will overwrite)